A Woman Captured

Directed by

A WOMAN CAPTURED is about Marish, a 52-year-old Hungarian woman who has been serving a family for a decade, working 20 hours a day - without getting paid. Her ID was taken from her by her oppressors and she's not allowed to leave the house without permission. Treated like an animal, she only gets leftovers to eat and no bed to sleep in. Marish spends the days with fear in her heart, but dreaming of getting her life back. The presence of the camera helps her realize she isn’t completely alone. She begins to show signs of trust; after 2 years of shooting, she gathers her courage and reveals her plan: “I am going to escape". The film follows Marish’s heroic journey back to freedom.

Labels & Line Ups

Credits

Cinematography

Bernadett Tuza-Ritter

Editing

Bernadett Tuza-Ritter

Nóra Richter

Music

Csaba Kalotás

Director's Statement

This film, I believe, will confront Western audiences with something very uncomfortable: the fact that slavery is happening in their own surroundings. It is not just a third world problem. It’s everywhere. The location where I shot was not hidden or on the periphery of civilisation - it was in the middle of Europe. I want to show this story, raise awareness to the problem and start a wider conversation on it. I am from a country in the EU where most people have not even heard about this issue, and there are barely any governmental or non-governmental organisations that even remotely try to deal with it.

Sales

SYNDICADO FILM SALES

Production

ECLIPSE FILM

Press

Bernadett Tuza-Ritter's portrait of a modern-day slave in Hungary raises questions about the phenomenon.

Vladan Petkovic, Cineuropa

The subject matter and the emotional rollercoaster of what happens makes for the kind of compelling, talking point documentary.

Hungary

Bernadett Tuza-Ritter is a Hungarian independent film director and editorspecializing in creative documentaries and fiction. She studied directing and editing at the University of Theatre and Film Arts Budapest. In 2013 she worked as a director in the project called ‘CINETRAIN – RUSSIAN WINTER’ which won the audience award at Vision du Reel documentary festival. Member of HSE and Hungarian Film Academy. Her first feature length documentary A WOMAN CAPTURED premiered at IDFA 2017 Main Competition. After its world premiere it was selected by Sundance Film Festival 2018 – World Cinema Documentary Competition, and thus it will be the first Hungarian feature length film ever to compete at Sundance, in January of 2018.